This text is an account of an Alpine village that illuminates the history of Switzerland and its rural, local underplanings. It begins with the colonization of the Alps by Romanized Celtic peoples who came from the plain to create a dairy economy that became famous for its cheeses.

Switzerland is a remarkable country, half of whose territory lies in the Alps. This is the history of one Swiss alpine village. Raising cattle and making cheese brought modest wealth to its struggling peasants until a destructive Napoleonic invasion brought revolution and poverty. Well-being was slowly restored by a democratic unification of Switzerland. The Alps took on a romantic tourist glow in the Edwardian age and after the disruptions of two world wars the highland farmers and guest house keeps began to prosper.